Hyperglide chains - worthwhile or junk?

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Gotta ask Mike, do you inspect and then add the shimano connecting
pin
on all the bicycles you receive from your 'manufacturer?

We inspect them with a fine-toothed comb and, if we find a mangled
(evidence
of bulging at pin) link, we replace the entire chain (and, of course,
use a
two-stage connecting pin). However, one got past us last week,
mangling a
derailleur and rear wheel. An expensive mess that the bike
manufacturer is
paying for. Actually more upsetting that it got past us than anything
else,
given the extent to which we've documented this situation.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


Maybe they ought to switch to Sram, with the connecting link...but I
know the answer to that from shimano, the evil empire....

BarryNL wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano
Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride,
on about
the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining
pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to
be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the
bike
together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another
brand,
and if so what?

Thanks for any tips, Barry.


Barry: The bike manufacturers rarely use the special connecting pin
that you
& I do, because they're difficult to install on a production line
(specifically, there are repetitive-movement injury issues, or so
I've been
told). Most likely, if you look very carefully at the sideplates,
you'll
find a bit of a bulge where the pin mangled it a bit as it pushed
in. If you
bring it back to the shop, more than likely they won't give you any
trouble
and will install a new chain for you, with the two-stage
nearly-bombproof
connecting pin.

Thanks for the info. So the factory pin is possibly the problem.
Then,
to expand my story slightly, I actually bought two of these bikes
(for
me and the wife) and its actually her chain that broke. Should I be
thinking about replacing the factory joining pin on my bike as well
with
one of the two stage pins? I have noticed that on my bike the pin
sticks
out slightly further on one side and is virtually flush with the
plate
on the other.

Thanks, Barry.

Go to the place ya bought them, have them give you new chains, suggest
Sram, Like the PC-950, better chain than the HG-73.

Maybe they ought to switch to Sram, with the connecting link...but I
know the answer to that from shimano, the evil empire....

It's not a Shimano issue; most manufacturers would like to switch, because
alternative chains cost considerably less. And in the past Trek has used
many different chains. But... Shimano chains generally shift better on the
front. This has been my personal experience, and it's been what I've seen on
a number of bikes that didn't shift really well but, when the chain is
changed (to a Shimano), worked fine.

SRAM wouldn't be my 2nd choice either; I've had better success with KMC
(which also use a snap link). But even the KMC is more likely to drop the
chain off the inside chainring (on a double) than the Shimano.

Please note these experiences are with STI, not Ergo levers. Front shifting
isn't as likely to expose a chain preference with Ergo. The last Campy
drivetrain that was really picky about chains was the 8-speed, IMHO. Still,
it seems like a lot of folk believe the secret to Campy 9-speed working
great is to use a Shimano chain. Personally, I haven't found that to be the
case. The Shimano chain seems to make a bit less noise, but the Campy shifts
better.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Gotta ask Mike, do you inspect and then add the shimano connecting
pin
on all the bicycles you receive from your 'manufacturer?

We inspect them with a fine-toothed comb and, if we find a mangled
(evidence
of bulging at pin) link, we replace the entire chain (and, of course,
use a
two-stage connecting pin). However, one got past us last week,
mangling a
derailleur and rear wheel. An expensive mess that the bike
manufacturer is
paying for. Actually more upsetting that it got past us than anything
else,
given the extent to which we've documented this situation.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


Maybe they ought to switch to Sram, with the connecting link...but I
know the answer to that from shimano, the evil empire....

In article ,
says...

Hi,
I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on
about the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

Probably poor assembly.

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another
brand, and if so what?

The chains are fine. I would not use the shimano special pins and instead
use wipperman connex link, or the similar device from Sachs.
-------------
Alex

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 22:04:19 +0200, BarryNL
wrote:

Hi,

I just got a new mountain bike (Trek 4500) with a Shimano Hyperglide
(HG73) chain for a 9 wheel cassette system and on the first ride, on
about the fifth hill the chain broke at the special replacement/joining pin.

My question is, is this typical of these chains - are they known to be
unreliable or was I just unlucky (or did the shop which put the bike
together do something wrong)?

Is current wisdom to use these chains or replace them with another
brand, and if so what?

IME, the chains are good, but the push-in pin is iffy. I use an SRAM
connector link of the appropriate width (blithely ignoring SRAM's
prophecies of doom surrounding the practice of using their link on a
non-SRAM chain) and I have no problems with the Shimano chains.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

On Mon, 02 May 2005 15:38:59 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

But... Shimano chains generally shift better on the
front. This has been my personal experience, and it's been what I've seen on
a number of bikes that didn't shift really well but, when the chain is
changed (to a Shimano), worked fine.

I think that when the 9sp HG chain had the bellies between pins, the
front shifting was 2nd to none with Shimano chain. With 10 sp chain,
they''ve flattened the sideplates. I'd expect the front shifting to
now be on par with Wippermann, which I don't think is so great.

Using a Shimano 9sp HG chain on a Campy 10 system requires precise
adjustment but yields best front shifts.